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About Suzanne

Hello! My name is Suzanne. I am an actress/singer/yoga instructor and home cook based out of Los Angeles, CA. I am passionate about food, health, and wellness. I have taken the Professional 1 Series at the New School of Cooking in Culver City, am a 200-hr certified yoga instructor, and have an extensive background in fitness. I hope to inspire you to care for yourself by loving every morsel of food you put in your mouth, by moving your body with intention and patience, and by loving yourself and all the million amazing things you can do.

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Thursday, February 11, 2010

Do you remember the fat-free craze? In college, I used to eat two bagels every day, thinking that I was being super healthy because they were fat-free or low-fat! And what occurred during the fat-free phenom? Everyone got fatter. Now, of course, we know that sugar converts to fat in the body if it is not used as energy. Then we had the carb-free phase. Those diets are effective but have their own set of problems, like causing the liver to go into a state of ketosis, plummeting energy, losing brain power and focus, and the fact that when you start going on carbs again (which you will...), you gain all the weight back plus some. Thankfully, those diet crazes have died down and most nutrition experts are promoting healthy fats like olive oil, avocado, and walnuts....and healthy carbs like fruits, vegetables, and whole grains. Even if you go by instinct alone, you know that this is better for your health because it just makes sense. Bottom line, it's the law of thermodynamics. If you burn more energy than you ingest, you will lose fat. So now people are watching their calories--a great idea for someone who wants to lose or maintain weight. But the big food companies are capitalizing on this new healthy approach to diet and exercise by advertising 100-calorie packs of cookies, chips, and other snacks as healthy options. Nabisco's new campaign, "Diet like a Diva" is downright hilarious. Here are the ingredients in their newest product, yogurt-covered pretzels:

You tell me--would any "diva" eat this? It is NOT FOOD. It may contain 100 calories, but it also contains 4 grams of fat, 3.5 of which are saturated, 16 grams of carbohydrates, none of the fiber, and 7 grams of sugar. You will have eaten all kinds of synthetic chemicals and unhealthy fats and oils...and it will have done nothing for you nutritionally. Chances are it won't fill you up, either. But it will spike your insulin, leaving you searching for another couple 100-calorie packs or some other carb-y sugary snack.